1/. Two hundred years ago, a slab of Purbeck stone was set deep into a hillside on Hampstead Heath
Called the Stone of Free Speech, it’s a place where people would come to hear ‘Radicals’ like Hunt, Cobbett, Cartwright & Burdett give speeches about the struggle for basic rights
Called the Stone of Free Speech, it’s a place where people would come to hear ‘Radicals’ like Hunt, Cobbett, Cartwright & Burdett give speeches about the struggle for basic rights
2/. The word radical is often associated with extremism but it derives from the Latin “radix” meaning root
To effect real change, it’s essential to go to the root of a problem
So people would gather here to talk about suffrage, ending child labour & extreme inequality & slavery
To effect real change, it’s essential to go to the root of a problem
So people would gather here to talk about suffrage, ending child labour & extreme inequality & slavery
https://twitter.com/StefSimanowitz/status/1319883815922339840
3/. In 1816 - amid growing fear among the ruling class - a riot at Spa Fields where people had gathered to hear Henry Hunt talk about electoral reform, gave a pretext for the passing of the “Gagging Acts” suppressing reformist activities & making gatherings of 50+ people illegal.
https://twitter.com/stefsimanowitz/status/1318697086603431936
4/. “The moment we no longer have a free press, anything can happen. What makes it possible for a totalitarian or any other dictatorship to rule is that people are not informed.” (Hannah Arendt)
On #WorldPressFreedomDay we need to take a radical look & what’s going on #WPFD2022
On #WorldPressFreedomDay we need to take a radical look & what’s going on #WPFD2022
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